The first one of these ever built, complete with luxurious accessories and a piano, was built in Pittsburgh in 1905. The price of admission was 5¢. What was it?

The answer to the trivia question is a movie theater, specifically a Nickelodeon. These early cinematic venues, often set up in converted storefronts, played a pivotal role in making motion pictures accessible to the masses. The first notable Nickelodeon opened its doors in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on June 19, 1905, thanks to the entrepreneurial vision of Harry Davis and John P. Harris.

This pioneering establishment, located on Smithfield Street, charged a mere five cents for admission, which is where the "nickel" in "Nickelodeon" comes from, combined with "odeon," the Greek word for theater. Despite being a converted storefront, the Pittsburgh Nickelodeon aimed for a luxurious feel, designed to mimic an opera house with architectural flourishes like crown moldings, embellished ceilings, colorful paintings, and even gilded statues and sconces in the lobby. It featured 96 seats, often opera-house chairs, and standing room for about 100 more patrons. A piano was also a key feature, providing live accompaniment to the silent films, enhancing the viewing experience for the working-class audiences it primarily served.

The Nickelodeon offered continuous showings of short, 15-20 minute silent films, such as "The Great Train Robbery," from early morning until midnight, drawing thousands daily. This model of affordable, continuous entertainment quickly became a nationwide phenomenon, with thousands of similar venues popping up across America by 1908. These early movie theaters provided an important escape and form of leisure for many, especially immigrants and working-class families, before being gradually replaced by larger, more elaborate "movie palaces" in the 1910s.